Former drug dealer details heroin problem in Delaware County

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. (December 8, 2015) - A former drug user and dealer in Delaware County spoke to FOX59 about the heroin epidemic overtaking the county.

The man did not want to be identified. He said he first started selling drugs and then began using. He's been clean for six months. He wanted to share his story exclusively with FOX59 news in hopes others would not go down the same road he did.

"You turn into a monster. You're gonna rob your mom and whoever you can screw over to make a couple bucks to get a fix," he said.

According to the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, a majority of investigations involve heroin cases. Deputies are actively investigating at least three cases each week.

"We have gloves off here in Delaware County and we are going actively and aggressively towards people that are selling and using the drugs," said Delaware County Sheriff Ray Dudley.

According to the former dealer, he would sell heroin and cocaine to anyone who would buy it.

“I sold to college student, sold to high school students. I sold to people who ran million dollar car lots. You name it," he said.

He said the drug doesn't just impact users. He knows many people who have committed other crimes to get cash for the drugs. Sheriff Dudley says the addiction problem is more than just using the drugs.

“They’ll do anything they have to if it’s a burglary, armed robbery, going into a pharmacy and robbing them, which we’ve had a lot of in Muncie. They’ll steal off their own family members just to get the drug.”

Over the weekend, three people were arrested in Muncie for buying and selling drugs in a Pizza Hut parking lot. One woman brought her child to the drug deal. The former user says he got clean for his family and especially his daughter, but he knows the problem likely won't go away any time soon.

“I went to the park last week and there’s needles at the park. You walk down the road and see needles. It just blows your mind," he said.

Deputies continue to investigate how the drugs are getting into the county. They believe one group from the area travels to Dayton, Ohio and Michigan to pick up the heroin and bring it to Delaware County.